The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently started two major studies in an effort to understand the unusual spike in “sudden deaths” among young people in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. ICMR Director-General Dr Rajiv Bahl discussed these ambitious initiatives with News18 on the sidelines of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit, which was held in Gujarat on August 17 and 18.
Dr Bahl confirmed that the research, which focuses on people between the ages of 18 and 45, seeks to understand the unexplained deaths of otherwise healthy individuals. He expressed optimism that the findings could unveil the latent implications of the COVID-19 outbreak and “may help prevent other deaths.”
“Sudden deaths,” as elucidated by ICMR, denote the unexpected demise of previously healthy individuals devoid of known comorbid ailments. The News18 report suggests that ICMR has examined 50 autopsies at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, with the intention of expanding this sample size to include an additional 100 cases within the coming months.
“We are trying to understand the reasons or differences when we compare the results of these autopsies to those in previous years or pre-COVID years,” Dr Bahl said.
The core objective of the studies is to ascertain whether underlying physiological changes within the human body could be attributed to the sudden deaths occurring among young adults in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. By identifying discernible patterns, such as an elevated incidence of sudden heart failure or lung collapse, researchers aspire to delineate the associations that might exist.
In tandem with the autopsy-centric study, ICMR has also initiated a case-control study that centres on individuals aged 18 to 45 who have experienced sudden deaths in the past year. This research leverages data pooled from 40 centres spanning India, where COVID-19 patients were monitored for a full year subsequent to their discharge. The comprehensive dataset encompasses information pertaining to COVID-19 admissions, hospital discharges and fatalities.
The ICMR chief also revealed that the investigation extends to interviews with the families of the deceased. These interviews are intended to shed light on the potential catalysts behind the unexpected deaths. Furthermore, the study's architecture encompasses the identification of living individuals in the vicinity of the deceased. The apex medical research agency in the country is also engaging with individuals sharing identical profiles—age, gender and locality—within the same neighbourhood. The methodology could help to discover risk factor associations.
Consequently, researchers have embarked on an extensive field effort, engaging in home-to-home interviews with the control group. “We are interviewing these control group individuals to understand their diet, tobacco use, lifestyle, COVID history, vaccination and family’s medical history,” he said. The overarching aim is to decipher the intricate web of risk factors contributing to post-COVID deaths.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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